Air purifier for closed cars



May 6, 1930. E. FERRARA I I AIR PURIFIER FOR CLOSED CARS Filed April 21, 1928 I N VEN TOR. M m

7 Q m I ATTOEVEY.

' Patented 6, 1930 1,757,080

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EDWARD FERRARA, OF MITTINEAGUE, MASSACHUSETTS AIR PILRIFIER FOR\GLOS1ED CARS Application filed April 21, 1928. Serial No. 271,896.

My invention relates to improvements in larged, longitudinal, vertical section through devices or appliances for maintaining air, in said box; Fig. 5, an enlarged, cross section bodies of vehicles of the closed type, pure through the box, taken on lines 55, looking and free from dust, smoke, and gases, and in the direction of the associated arrow, in

5 other foulness, by suction; and the primary Fig. 3; Fig. 6, an enlarged, top plan of the object of my invention is to provide an equiplower suction box, and, Fig. 7, an enlarged, ment to be installed in a closed car, by means longitudinal, vertical section through said of which impurities from the car body can lower box.

be removed at the top, of said body, or at the Similar reference characters designate bottom of said body, or at both top and botsimilar parts throughout the several views. tom, at will, said equipment including an air Parts are broken out in each of Figs. 8, 4, suction element operated from some rotary 6, and 7 J member of the vehicle, such as the generator A closed-car body is represented at 1, and shaft. a generator at 2, by broken lines in the first- More or less dust finds. its way into a vehicle view.

' 6 or car body of the class described, even when A suction box 3 is attached within the body the Windows in said body are closed, the air, 1 to the roof thereof, and a suction box at is in said body becomes foul from the breath of set in the floor of said body, with the top the occupants thereof, tobacco smoke may of said second-named box flush with the top be present if any occupant is smoking, and of said floor. These suction boxes extend upon occasion gases enter the body, such, crosswise of and are located generally about for example, as the.deadly carbon monoxide midway between the ends of the body 1. A gas from the exhaust of the engine, but with suction pipe 6 extends down from the box this air purifier any and all of these impuri- 3, at a point adjacent to one end thereof. ties can be and are easily and quickly repast the corresponding end of the box 4, and moved and thus prevented from accumulatthrough the floor of the body 1, to open at ing to the discomfort and danger of the oc-' the bottom end into a casing 7 in which is cupant or occupants. I a suction fan 8. The casing 7 is fastened My purifier is capable of being installed to the vehicle chassis under the body 1. The without difiibulty in practically any closed fan Smay be of any ordinary and usual concar. v struction, and has a shaft 9 which is driven Other objects and advantages will appear from the shaft 10 of the generator 2, by in the course of the following description. means of a flexible shaft 11 having opposite I attain the objects and secure the adterminals connected with saidfan and genvantages of my invention by the means illuserator shafts, respectively. 1 trated in the accompanying drawings, in The suction box 3 has at the top a flange which- 12 by means of which said box is attached Figure 1 is an end elevation of an air purito the roof of the body 1. At one end in fier which embodies a practical form of my the bottom of the box 3 is a hollow connecinvention, showing the same installed in a tion'13 for the upper end of the pipe (Land closed car represented by broken lines; Fig. the suction box 4 has at the corresponding 2, a rear elevation of said purifier, the 'interend in the bottom a similar hollow connecmediate portion of the long suction pipe be tion 14:. A short, curved pipe or .elbow 15, ing broken out; Fig. 3, an enlarged, bottom located below the floor of the body 1, extends plan of the upper suction box; Fig. 4:, an enfrom the connection 14 to the pipe 6. Thus the box 3 opens t rough the connection 13 1nto the pipe 6, an the box 4 opens into said pipe through the connection '14 and the elbow \15 and the suction produced by the fan 8,

5 when 11]. motion, draws the air and whatever shaft 11, and the fan shaft 9.

The bottomof the suction box 3 and the top of the suction box 4 are perforated in some suitable manner, as by means of pluralities of transverse slots 17 and 18, respectively. The box 3 is provided with a sliding shutter 19, and the box 4 with a sliding shut-' ter 20. The shutter 19 has therein transverse slots 21 similar to the slots 17 in the bottom of said box, and the box 4:,has therein transverse slots 22 similar to the slots 18 in the top of said last-named box.

The shutter 19 is arranged to slide between the perforated bottom of'the box 3 and two angle-irons 23 fastened to the front and back sides of said box above the contiguous edges of said shutter. A knob 24 is secured to the shutter 19 approximately in the center of the same, projects below the bottom of the box 3, and operates in a longitudinal slot25 in said bottom.

When the knob 24 is the slot 25, the shutter ,with the slots 21 directly over -the slots 17, and said shutter is wide open, so that air with the impurities therein can enter the box 3 through said slots. When the knob 24 is moved to the other end of the slot 25, the shutter 19 is disposed thereby with the slots 21 over the solid parts of the bottom moved to one end of of the box 3,and said shutter is closed to exclude air from said box. The shutter may, of course, be disposed to open it only part way if desired. a a z The shutter 20 is arranged to slide between the perforated top of the box 4 and two angleirons 26 fastened to the front and back sides of said box below the contiguous edges of said shutter. A knob 27 is secured to the shuter 20 approximately in the center thereof,- projects above the top of the box 4 and operates in a longitudinal slot 28 in said top.

The shutter 20 is operated by the knob 27 in a similar manner to that in whichthe shut-" ter 19 is operated by its knob, and when said first-named shutter is open air with its impurities is admitted to the box 4, and when "said first-named shutter is closed air is shutout. I The box 4 has a flange at the top by means of which said box is supported and secured in place in the floor of the body 1.

In practice, the shutter 19 is opened when 19 is disposed thereby it is desired to purify the air in the body 1, and especially for the purpose of removing smoke, dust, or gases that are lighter than air and rise; the shutter 20 is opened when thereis dust or gas that is heavier than air that settles or is located in the lower part of said body, and must be taken therefrom at the bottom; and both shutters are opened in the event a thorough and complete removal of impurities and foulness can not be obtained by opening one only. As soon as either or both shutters are opened the air is sucked into one or both boxes 3 and 4:, and down through the ipe 6 or the pipes 6 and 15, into the cas-' ing and discharged from the latter throu h the opening at 16, assuming that the fan 8%)8 in motion. Upon closing either or both shutters, the suction produced by the fan merely reduces the air content in the closed suction box or boxes, without drawing any appreciable amount of air from the body 1.

The body 1 not being air-tight, air from the outside enters said body as fast as air from the interior is sucked out through the purifier. K In the event the windows of the body 1 are" wide open, and no need exists for removing air from the interior of said body by means of and through the purifier, at times when the generator 2 is in-operation, the fan may be permitted to remain idle. One method of accomplishing this is to disconnect the flexible shaft 11 from the generator shaft 10 before theengine is started.

Small circular registers have been used for ventilating closed cars, but'it has been'found that they'are inadequate, because the foul air. has a tendency to become pocketed in a manher which prevents a considerable portion of said air from escaping through such registers. This difficulty is entirely overcome wlth m purifier, because the perforated boxes wit my perforated shutters are arranged laterally in thecar.

More or less change in the shape, size, construction, and arrangement of some or all of the parts of this appliance, in addition to those hereinbefore referred to, without departing from the spirit of my invention-or exceeding the scope of what is claimed.

Iclaimtw 4 v I The combination with a closed automobile may be made' body having a floor and roof, of air purifying v apparatus comprising, separate suction boxes in the under and upper sides respectively of said roof and floor, each of said boxes having a greater, length than width, a side wall of each of said boxes being perforated with transverse slots disposed in spaced relation to provide inlets, the said boxes being disposed crosswise of said roof and floor so that said perforated side walls thereof are directed towardsoneanother and extend laterally with respect to said floor and roof. plates associated with the perforated side alls of said boxes which are provided with spaced slots and are movable relative to said walls whereby the inlet thereof may be opened or closed,

outlet ports for each of said boxes, a suction fan casing disposed below said floor and provided with suction and discharge ports, a fan member rotatable therein, driving mechanism for said fan, and pipe connections extending between the roof and floor of said body connected to the outlet ports of said boxes and the suction port of said fan casing.

EDWARD FERRARA. 

